Year: 2024

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to enjoy an incredible night at the Californian tiki bar Strong Water. Just a stones throw from Disneyland in Anaheim – where so much of the modern tiki bar aesthetic was popularised – this James Beard Award semi-finalist is now one of the hottest destinations in the city….

Keshe Chow‘s hotly anticipated debut, The Girl with No Reflection, is a dark fantasy inspired by Imperial Chinese history and mythology with a steady injection of romance for good measure. Its vivid imagery, unique world-building and courtly intrigue are no doubt what had US critics praising the book long before its release here in Australia….

At the AU, we are big lovers of folk music, and hailing from Sweden and now resident in Berlin, is the artist known as The Saga, who delivers dreamy and ethereal folk music. We are thrilled to premiere a track named after their ‘pen name’, the gorgeous “The Saga”, before its release on Wednesday, 16th…

Created by the Sydney’s husband-and-wife director-choreographer duo Stefan Hunt and Vanessa Marian, Yeah The Boys explores Aussie larrikinism and masculinity, while offering an insightful observation of Australian identity and the nation’s relationship with drinking culture, with a unique blend of choreography and screen storytelling, without a word being spoken for the whole film. Winner of Best Australia Short at Flickerfest, and nominated…

When Bernard Fanning and Paul Dempsey released The Deluge—their first collaboration under the Fanning Dempsey National Park moniker—back in August, the unique sonic transformation they created immediately captured my attention. Beneath the excitement of two Australian rock legends joining forces, however, one key question went unasked: how would this new, synth pop mix and match…

After two decades as one of the most beloved and enduring musicals on the stage, Wicked makes its long-awaited journey to the big screen as a spectacular, generation-defining cinematic event this holiday season. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Jon M. Chu, Wicked is the first chapter of a two-part immersive, cultural celebration. Wicked Part Two is scheduled to arrive…

After two decades as one of the most beloved and enduring musicals on the stage, Wicked makes its long-awaited journey to the big screen as a spectacular, generation-defining cinematic event this holiday season. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Jon M. Chu, Wicked is the first chapter of a two-part immersive, cultural celebration. Wicked Part Two is scheduled to arrive…

After two decades as one of the most beloved and enduring musicals on the stage, Wicked makes its long-awaited journey to the big screen as a spectacular, generation-defining cinematic event this holiday season. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Jon M. Chu, Wicked is the first chapter of a two-part immersive, cultural celebration. Wicked Part Two is scheduled to arrive…

Thanks to StudioCanal Australia we have 5 double in-season passes (Admit 2) to see Michael Keaton‘s crime thriller Assassin’s Plan, in Australian theatres October 17th, 2024, co-starring James Marsden, Marcia Gay Harden and Al Pacino. Diagnosed with a rapidly debilitating illness, a contract killer gets the chance to redeem himself by saving the life of…

Steam has officially confirmed that the highly anticipated Steam Deck is coming to Australia. At PAX Australia, the company confirmed that it will begin selling the PC handheld device locally starting next month. Currently, the only way to get one is to pay some heavy import fees or pay double, sometimes triple from an unauthorised…

For a company that’s ahead of the curb when offering a refined Android experience for Pixel users, Google has been slow to move in the hyper-competitive space for truly wireless earbuds. Attempts to distinguish the Pixel Buds from other earbuds, like the high-performance Sony WF series and Apple’s paradigm-shifting Airpods, have led Google to rely…

The little horror movie series that could, Terrifier has taken both the terrifying Art the Clown and its creator, writer/director/special effects artist Damien Leone, to gory heights as each film pushes the boundaries on what it is to truly unnerve genre audiences. As Terrifier 3 massacres its way into Australian theatres this weekend (you can…

It’s that time of the year again. PAX Aus is back for another epic event of gaming and pop culture at the Melbourne Convention Centre. Starting today, the event runs Friday 11 October through Sunday 13th of October with live panels, interactive events, competitions, cosplay and so much more! If you are tight on time…

As we speed through October on our way towards Halloween we’ve added another ten tracks to our Discovery playlist on Spotify and Apple Music, including one single we exclusively premiered earlier in the week. Loose Content a three piece alt-rock band from the Byron Bay hinterland is our Track of the Week with their brand…

I’ve dabbled in the Diablo games for almost two decades now. But I have to say, Diablo 4 still stands as my favourite. It simply refined and deepened every mechanic and aspect of the overall franchise, and kept me around for months after my official review. Over a year later, Diablo 4 has released its…

I’m a huge boxing fan, and I still jump on Fight Night Champion to this day. While that’s still accessible on my Xbox Series X via backwards compatibility, I’ve eagerly awaited the next great boxing game. Enter Undisputed. From developer Steel City Interactive comes that next big swing, attempting to receive the sport in the video game…

With Lament crowned Pitchfork’s Best New Album in 2020, Touché Amoré set the bar high for their upcoming release, Spiral in a Straight Line. Forming in 2007, the post-hardcore group has consistently made waves in the scene, earning critical acclaim for each of their four previous studio albums. While they re-recorded and re-released their debut…

The fourth live-action adaptation of the much-loved comic creation Hellboy, and the third iteration of the character following two well-received Guillermo del Toro-helmed, Ron Perlman-starring outings and a less-said-about-the-better reboot with David Harbour, Brian Taylor‘s take on the character in Hellboy: The Crooked Man has a distinct personality of its own and a well-suited Jack…

The atmosphere in Melbourne was electric last night as Olivia Rodrigo kicked off the first of her four highly anticipated shows at Rod Laver Arena. Since the tour was announced earlier this year, fans have eagerly waited for their chance to see the pop sensation, with tickets selling out in minutes. By showtime, eager crowds…

In a media age where remakes, sequels, and reboots dominate, the weaponising of nostalgia has brought both glee and despair to gamers everywhere. When handled with care, recycling the old can be a fun exercise but there is something to be said for finding something new in the familiar. Akimbot, the latest release by Evil…

Released in 2010, the original Epic Mickey was a magical experience and one of the most creative and underrated platformers at the time. The Wii-exclusive game was a dark, twisted version of the cartoon character we all know and love. The game was a journey through long-celebrated franchises and characters with a sci-fi twist, the popular game…

For decades now, Cirque du Soleil has been the king of the Las Vegas strip – producing almost a dozen residency shows for the city since 1993, with close to 10,000 people witnessing the Montreal company’s spectacle every night. Residency shows are typically designed for the destination, usually in a room custom built for the…

Actor Jack Kesy is no stranger to dabbling in the realms of the action (The Killer), comic book (Deadpool 2) and horror genres (TV’s The Strain) across his career thus far.  But what about an amalgamation of all three? Following in the footsteps of Ron Perlman and David Harbour before him, Kesy is stepping into…

An exciting talent to emerge from Eora/Sydney is artist/producer Lolita Mae. Today we have the thrill of premiering her divinely sensual new single, “‘Holy Renascence” ahead of its release on Friday. The term ‘Holy Renascence’ refers to a spiritually profound rebirth, and the track is undoubtedly profound and intimate.  The track was produced by Lolita herself,…

Terrifier 3 continues the story of both Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera) and her brother Jonathan (Elliot Fullham). After narrowly surviving the brutal Halloween massacre of the terrorizing Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton), the two siblings are estranged and struggling to piece together the remains of a normal existence in the time of peace, while…

Brisbane’s Home of the Heavy is set to return in the very near future, with Crowbar‘s Trad Nathan and Tyla Dombroski announcing plans to once again set up shop in the River City. But they won’t be returning to their old stomping ground – future Crowbar Brisbane punters will instead ascend a familiar Ann Street…

I’m a huge fan of The Karate Kid films, and even the more recent Cobra Kai series on Netflix, which I would recommend to anyone. But after seeing what became of the recent Cobra Kai tie-in video games, I admittedly hesitated to give this one a go. Upon further research, I was pleased to find…

Yesterday saw the first weekend of Austin City Limits Festival draw to a close, with saw Zilker Park become a dust bowl. The bandana masks came out as the grass was trampled, with massive crowds decending on the iconic grounds for acts like Chappell Roan, Tyler The Creator, Cannons plus Australia’s own Dom Dolla and…

TISM fans are known to be fanatical about their favourite band. The same day that a “secret” warm up gig was announced at The Gov hotel in Adelaide, the show sold out. With doors opening at 1pm, the pub itself opened the doors at midday to a throng of fans that would normally be just…

A film like Psychosis is a difficult one to review.  Whilst there’s never a shortage of features that prove wildly divisive (the Joker sequel says hello), Pirie Martin‘s ambitious debut defies categorization as it blends technique and genre, submitting to an extreme eccentricity that, as off-putting it may be to some, is difficult to not…